Morphizer-Xe Mixup
by Dead Man's Toe
Summary: Morty finds himself greatly in debt, so he uses the Morphizer-Xe to turn himself into a girl to enter a science fair competion. But the machine breaks down, and Morty gets stuck inside a girl's body for a lot longer than expected. Meanwhile, unknown to Morty, Ethan lurks out there, plotting his revenge on the one who disfigured him.
1. Mort-A-Pult

**Brought to you by popular demand, prompt by Wolowizard.**

* * *

"Come on, Morty, we gotta test it out," Rick pleaded.

"I said no, Rick!" Morty exclaimed in frustration.

Rick sighed and crossed his arms, trying to look stern. Morty copied the movement, letting Rick know he wasn't kidding. They glared each other down for a moment before Rick sighed, turning back towards the sketchy catapult he had built, which was unfortunately named the Mort-A-Pult. "So," he began. "You're telling me that if we get into another dangerous situation like yesterday, you don't want me to be able to catapult you to safety?"

Morty almost screamed in frustration. "Rick!" he exclaimed. "This is a dangerous situation!"

"Not if you wear the watch," Rick informed him.

"Oh right," Morty said sarcastically. "The watch is going to create a magic bubble around me to protect me."

Rick glared. "It's not magic, it's science."

Morty turned away. "I'm not doing it, Rick," he said.

"Wait," Rick replied. "If you won't test out my Mort-A-Pult, then I'm revoking your right to choose one in every ten adventures."

If looks could kill, Rick would have been vaporized on the spot as Morty glared him down. "You wouldn't," he challenged.

"I would," Rick replied, returning the glare.

"Fine," Morty spat. He stormed over to Rick's desk and put the watch on. Reluctantly, he climbed into the seat of the catapult. "What do I do if I end up on someone's roof?" he asked.

"The watch will send me your GPS coordinates, and I'll come get you," Rick replied, looking concerningly eager. "Ready?" he asked. Morty responded with a glare. Rick pulled the lever, and Morty went flying.

Sure enough, a protective forcefield appeared around him, but Morty could tell something was wrong. He was way too low and headed straight for Ms. Willford's window across the street. He closed his eyes and heard the sounds of shattering glass and Ms. Willford screaming. The bubble popped, and Morty landed on the floor, surrounded by broken glass. "What are you doing in here?!" she shrieked.

"I-I'm so s-sorry," Morty stuttered. "R-R-Rick-"

"I don't care what happened, but you owe me $2000 for that window," Ms. Willford said sternly.

Morty gulped. "Y-yes ma'am," he said before hastily jumping out the window he had crashed through. He sprinted back to Rick's garage, where he seemed to be fiddling with the catapult. "Do you have any idea what you just did?!" Morty explained.

"So we were a little low," Rick replied casually. "Nothing I can't fix."

"Rick!" Morty shouted. "We broke Ms. Willford's window! We owe her $2000 now!"

Rick shrugged. "Okay, I'll just portal us into a bank vault and-"

"No!" Morty protested. "We are not stealing! This is your fault, you've got to have some money."

Rick shook his head. "I'm afraid I spent the last of it on Szechuan sauce," he explained.

Morty stared at him in disbelief. Rick was starting to look vaguely guilty. He opened his mouth to say something, but Morty cut him off. "No. No. Fine. I'll take care of it myself. I'm always cleaning up after your messes, aren't I?"

He stalked out of the garage and slammed the door. This time, Rick had really done it, and he was beyond pissed. He had no idea how he was going to fix this mess, but he had to start somewhere. With a sigh, he made his way into the living room.

"Hey, sweetie," his mother greeted him. "Is everything alright?"

"No, actually," Morty admitted. "Rick and I broke Ms. Willford's window and we now owe her $2000."

Jerry whistled. "Well, you know I don't have that kind of money."

Beth looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but we just can't afford to give you and Rick $2000 whenever you need it."

Hopelessly, Morty turned to Summer, who hadn't even looked up from her phone. "Not a chance," she said. "Tell Rick to get a job."

With tears starting to form in his eyes, Morty headed for his room. It was getting late, and it was obvious that he wasn't going to get the problem fixed today. Tomorrow, he'd probably have to find someone to work his ass off for. He sighed. This wasn't going to be fun.

* * *

Morty was feeling so down that he didn't even bother to try to greet Jessica as he walked passed her. His mind was consumed with what was a very large debt for a fourteen-year-old. He sighed, forlorn.

As he reached his locker, he noticed a piece of paper stuck to it. Curious, he ripped it off and began to read it. At the bottom corner, a $2000 reward was listed. His eyes widened in surprise, and his heart started to beat faster. Could this be the answer he was looking for? He looked up at the top, which read: Women Only Science Fair. Discouraged, he was about to crumble up the paper when he had an idea.

Rick's Morphizer-Xe was sitting unused in the garage, and Morty bet their was an option to turn him into a girl and win this science fair. All their problems would be solved. It almost seemed too easy.

With a smile, he shoved the paper into his backpack. He couldn't wait to show Rick.

* * *

To Morty's utter frustration, Rick was still working on the Mort-A-Pult when he got home. He groaned internally but decided not to say anything about it.

"Oh hey, Morty," Rick said. "Can you hand me that screwdriver?"

Morty plucked the screwdriver off Rick's desk and handed it to him. "So," he began. "Theoretically, could that Morphizer-Xe be used to turn me into a girl?"

"Theoretically," Rick answered without looking up.

"Great!" Morty explained. He pulled out the piece of paper and handed it to Rick.

His grandpa took one look at the paper before handing it back to Morty. "Absolutely not," he said.

"Are you kidding me?!" Morty exclaimed. "The answer to our problem just fell into our lap, and you're going to say no?"

Rick sighed and ran his hands across his face. "You were right," he said. "It's my fault. So I'll get the money. Legally. In the mean time, don't you dare touch that machine."

Frustrated, Morty stormed off. He had no idea what his grandpa had planned, but it couldn't be anything good. His plan was so simple, but Rick had to go and make things difficult.

It was time for Morty to take matters into his own hands.

* * *

Later that night, Morty sat by his door, listening intensely. Finally, at about 3:00 a.m., he heard the garage door open and shut. He heard Rick's footsteps echo throughout the house, then the door to his bedroom open and shut.

Morty waited another couple of minutes, then sneaked out of his room as quietly as possible. He tip toed down the halls and slipped into the garage. The Morphizer-Xe was sitting in the corner, covered by a sheet. Morty uncovered it and used the flashlight on his phone to find the gender-bend switch. He flipped it and took a step back. His whole body felt like an electrical shock was running through it, then suddenly, it stopped.

With a smirk, Morty grabbed Rick's shrink ray and shrunk the machine until it was pocket sized. After pocketing both the Morphizer-Xe and the shrink ray, Morty looked down at... herself? She supposed female pronouns would do for now. After all, it was only going to be for one day.

Satisfied with her work, Morty snuck back up the stairs and into her room.


	2. The Science Fair

Morty was thankful that she was only fourteen and her breasts were small enough to hide. She had gotten up early before anyone else had woken up and snuck into the bathroom. Now, she was tightly binding her breasts with toilet paper, because if Rick figured out she had used the machine after he specifically told her not to, he was going to be pissed. It felt uncomfortable, but it was just until she got to school.

She slipped her yellow shirt on and pulled a red hoodie over it. She had already cut her extra hair to give herself the same boyish look she had as a boy. Now, the only problem was her voice. "Hello?" she tested her voice out very quietly. Luckily, it was only slightly higher than her regular voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Hello?" she asked herself, lowering her register. Perfect.

As she walked down the stairs, she smiled to herself. There was no way anyone was going to find out what she did until after she had won the $2000. Rick could be pissed all he wanted then, but her problem would be solved.

She joined her family at the dining table. "Good morning, sweetie," Beth greeted her as she set a plate of food in front of her.

"Good morning, Mom," Morty replied, using her best 'boy voice'. It must have worked, because Beth didn't say anything else.

"What took you so long in the bathroom?" Summer grumbled, playing with her food.

Morty rolled her eyes and gave the most disgusting yet plausible answer she could come up with. "Constipation," she answered.

Summer grimaced and buried her head in her hands. "Gross, Morty. TMI."

Morty snorted to herself, but her good mood came to an abrupt halt when she caught Rick's eye. He was glaring her down, clearly very, very pissed. Morty gulped and ducked her head. Rick was a genius. Of course he would see straight through her. She quickly devoured her food and began fast waking to her room when Rick stopped her. "Morty?" he asked as calmly as possible, but she could hear the edge in it. "Can I speak to you in the garage for a moment?"

Not wanting to draw her family's suspicion or further increase Rick's wrath, Morty turned around and gave a nervous smile. "Of course," she said. She followed Rick, feeling dread pooling up in her stomach.

As soon as they were alone, Rick spun around and glared at her, absolutely livid. "Why did you do it?" he growled. "Why, after I specifically told you not to, did you do it anyways?"

Morty tried to feign confusion, knowing it was in vain. "What are you talking about, Rick?" she asked, keeping her expression neutral.

"You used the Morphizer-Xe to turn yourself into a girl after I told you not to," Rick accused.

"Why would I have done that?" Morty questioned. "You already said you were taking care of the problem."

Rick's eyes narrowed. "So you did not turn yourself into a girl?" he questioned.

"No," Morty replied, trying to sound as confident as possible.

Suddenly, Rick grabbed Morty by the hair and shoved her into the wall, causing a shriek that could only be made by a girl's vocal cords to pass her lips. "Wanna try again?" he growled.

"Alright, alright, just get off of me," she begged, her voice trembling with fear. She didn't even bother trying to mask her voice now that she had been found out. Rick released her, and she turned back to face him, unable to hide her terror any longer. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'm desperate Rick! What do you expect me to do?"

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "You idiot, I only said no because it only had enough fuel for one transformation. Now, instead of doing things MY way, I'm going to have to make some more to save your dumb ass." Noticing the tears running down her cheeks, he sighed again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. But I am extremely frustrated. Now, where is my machine?"

Sheepishly, Morty pulled the shrunken machine out of her pocket. "You shrank my machine," he stated. "You may be an idiot, but I'm actually a little impressed."

Morty returned the machine to her pocket and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said. "But I will win that money, and I'll help you make the fuel. If I'm stuck in a girl's body for a few extra days, I can handle it."

Rick rubbed his hands over his face and nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "But you better win."

"I will," Morty replied confidently.

* * *

Once she was situated in the gym, she used Rick's shrink ray to unshrink the Morphizer-Xe. She smiled to herself, feeling very pleased. She watched as the judges went from exhibit to exhibit, but none were as impressive as her grandpa's invention. Her hoodie was off as well as the toilet paper that bound her breasts. The yellow shirt she was wearing was tight enough to show off her new figure, making sure everyone could tell she was indeed a girl.

"Morty?" a surprised voice sounded behind her.

She smiled nervously, recognizing that voice, as she turned around. "Hey, Jessica," she replied. "Surprised to see me here?"

Jessica stared at her, dumbfounded. "Well, yeah. I mean, I knew you and your grandpa could do amazing things, but this was a curve ball."

Morty smiled, eager to impress Jessica. "Did you make something?" she asked.

"No, I'm just here to support my friend," she explained. "But this... this is amazing. I'll be rooting for you."

Morty blushed as Jessica ran off to join her friend. When she turned around, she saw the judges staring in awe at the machine. "Morty Smith?" one of them asked curiously.

"Yep!" Morty replied. "That's not a girl's name. And that's because I'm not normally a girl. This machine turned me into one," she explained.

The judges stared in amazement back and forth between the picture of Morty and her new body. "This machine really did that?" one of the other judges asked.

"It did," Morty replied, pointing to the gender-bend switch.

Eventually, the judges moved on, but Morty could tell that she had made a lasting impression. She smiled smugly to herself. Now all that was left to do was await a judge's decision.

It didn't take long for the judges to make their way back to the stage. Morty had been one of the last contestants. As she looked up at the stage, a sense of anxiety began to fill her stomach. What if she didn't win? What if all this was for nothing?

The announcer walked up to the mic and cleared her throat. "The winner of this year's women's science fair, by unanimous decision, is Morty Smith," she announced.

Morty could barely contain her excitement as she sprinted up to the stage. "Congratulations," the announcer said, shaking her hand. She handed Morty the envelope of money. All the judges were beaming at her as she breathed a sigh of relief. The window problem was solved. Now, she just had to help Rick make some more fuel. That should be easy.

* * *

Apparently, Rick had told the rest of the family about her antics, because nobody was surprised when she walked in through the front door. Jerry was sitting on the couch on his tablet, but he looked up when she walked in. "Hey there, Morty," he greeted her. "Or is it Morticia now?"

Morty groaned as she made her way to the kitchen, where Rick was retrieving a beer from the fridge. "Don't call me that," she instructed.

Rick gave her a sly smile. "I don't know, I kind of like it," he replied, elbowing her in the side. "Morticia."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. If Rick's teasing was the price she had to pay for getting the $2000, it was worth it. Besides, Rick teased her all the time. This was no different.

"I've always wanted a sister!" Summer exclaimed, suddenly appearing in the living room.

"Don't get used to it," Morty shot back. "As soon as Rick and I get some more fuel, I'm changing back."

"Speaking of," Rick interrupted. "May I have my Morphizer-Xe back?"

Morty nodded and followed Rick out into the garage. She set the machine down in its respective place, retrieved the shrink ray, and set it to unshrink. As soon as she pulled the trigger, she could tell something was wrong. The machine groaned, and it sounded like pieces were falling out. "No!" Morty exclaimed as the machine grew back to full size. "Rick, what happened?" she asked frantically.

Rick set his lips in a straight line. "It would appear that constantly shrinking and unshrinking broke my machine." Morty looked up fearfully, expecting to see anger in his eyes, but all she saw was a mixture of pity and irritation.

"But you can fix it, right?" Morty questioned.

"Of course I can fix it," Rick answered, sounding a little offended. "But you're gonna have to get comfortable in that body for a bit longer than we thought."

Morty sighed. It was only supposed to be for one day. She ran her fingers through her hair, forcing the negativity out of her mind. Rick was going to fix this. It was all going to be okay.


	3. Bathroom Dilemma

The next morning started off like any other morning, besides hearing the name "Morticia" thrown at her. Morty's grandpa was no grumpier than usual, trading snide comments with her father. "So," Morty began. "Do you have any exciting adventures planned for today, Rick?"

With a loud belch, Rick replied, "Yeah. Big plans. We're gonna take my machine to Taj's on Allium. He should be able to set us up with the parts we need. It won't be cheap though, which is why we have to go to the Lermen mines to get some of their metals. Taj -urp- really gets a hard one over Lermen materials. Th-th-they have different minerals, Morticia, that makes their metal stronger."

Morty smiled brightly. "Well, that sounds like a pretty big step," she said.

"Yeah, y-y-you're lucky I'm putting my other projects on hold to fix you," Rick grunted. "I should just leave you in that body to teach you not to mess with my things."

Under Rick's mildly irritated expression, Morty squirmed. She was about to apologize before Rick held up his hand, signaling for her to keep quiet. She knew Rick would never leave her like this, but she felt bad that he had to take the time to fix her now.

"Come on, little sister," Summer called. Morty groaned at her use of the word "sister". "We need to get to school."

"I can't wait to get my body back," Morty muttered. Then, with a cheerful smile, she turned back to Rick. "I'll see you later!"

Rick only grunted as Morty grabbed her things and ran out the door behind Summer.

* * *

At her locker, Morty heard someone approaching her. She turned around to see Jessica and smiled shyly. "Hi," Morty said. "N-nice to see you."

"Nice to see you too, Morty," Jessica replied, looking confused. "Sorry, I just assumed you'd be a guy again."

Morty looked down at herself awkwardly. She was wearing one of Summer's old sports bras, but it didn't cover her new figure, and her shirt hung differently on her altered, smaller frame. "Y-y-yeah, me too," she stammered. "But the machine broke, and now Rick and I gotta fix it before I go back to my old self." She finished with an awkward laugh.

Jessica looked like she was about to say something when Brad walked up to her and put an arm around her. Seeing Morty, he said, "Oh look, it's the science fair fag."

"Brad!" Jessica hissed, looking mortified. But the couple still walked down the hall together, even if Jessica was angrily lecturing Brad.

Morty felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She had always been bullied, but this was crossing a new line. With her mouth partially open, Morty stood there and tried to process what had happened. She shook her head and closed her locker. Brad was mean, but surely her other bullies wouldn't be like that.

With a new sense of anxiety in her stomach, she made her way to her first period class. Upon entering, she immediately heard the sniggering of her classmates. A wadded up paper ball even came from someone in the back and bounced off her head. She blushed and ducked her head, making her way to the back corner where she hoped nobody would disturb her.

The teacher tried to get the class to quiet down, but Morty could still hear the whispering and knew it was about her. She swallowed hard and sat up straight. How many near-death experiences had she faced with Rick? Too many to count. So if she could get through that, she could get through this.

Her next two classes went mostly the same. The other students gawked and laughed at her while she sat in the back corner, trying her best to ignore it all. By the end of third period, she really needed to use the restroom, so she made her way there.

She stopped outside the two doors, wondering which one she should enter. Morty had a girl's body, so surely she would need the girl's restroom... right? Besides, she couldn't imagine the boys would want her in their bathroom. So, she pushed the women's restroom door open.

The first thing that greeted her ears was the sound of shrieking, which caused her to jump back. A tall, blonde senior made eye contact with her and firmly said, "Oh, hell no."

"I just need to piss," Morty said, her voice wavering. She took a step towards the stall before the senior grabbed her and pushed her against the wall.

"So do it in your own bathroom, you little pervert," the senior hissed. "You think you're one of us because you look like us, but you're wrong. You're nothing but a sick, twisted peeping Tom."

Morty nodded frantically, but the senior still held her in a bruising grip. After a moment, the senior turned and threw Morty to the ground. She landed hard on her ass and looked up at the other girls, hoping for help, but all she saw was pure disgust. Morty scrambled to her feet and ran out of the bathroom.

Once outside, she glanced nervously at the men's restroom. Despite her appearance, that really was where she belonged... right? Dread pooled in her stomach as she stepped forward and pushed the door open.

The cat calls and wolf whistles began as soon as Morty entered, and she felt just as vulnerable as she did during her bathroom encounter with King Jellybean. "You lost, princess?" a tall, lanky, dark-haired boy asked.

"I just need to piss," Morty repeated, even more nervous than before as a very muscular ginger walked towards her.

"I thought you wanted to be a girl now, ya little tranny freak," the ginger taunted, standing between her and the stalls.

Morty's heart raced inside her chest and she began to feel dizzy. "I-I-I don't, I w-was just-"

"-She only did it for money," the first boy sneered.

"I wonder if she'd give me a lap dance for money," a third boy called out.

Morty was about to defend herself when the ginger's fist collided with the left side of her face. She stumbled backwards, whimpering. Blood trickled down her cheek. She made a move to rush out of the room when the ginger grabbed her, twisted her arms behind her back, and held them with one hand. "You can't go yet, you haven't used the toilet," he said ominously.

The ginger manhandled her towards the nearest stall while Morty resisted in vain. He pushed down on her shoulder with his free hand and forced her to her knees while she began to cry out for him to stop. Without warning, the hand grabbed her hair roughly and shoved her head into the toilet.

Water rushed into Morty's mouth and nose as she flailed with her legs. Just as she felt like she was about to pass out, the ginger let go of her. Morty frantically stumbled to her feet and gasped for air. The boys all howled with laughter as Morty sprinted out of there.

The hallways were empty, leading Morty to believe that fourth period had started somewhere during all that chaos. She took a few steps before leaning against the wall and sitting down. Morty tilted her head back and tried to keep it together, but a few tears slipped down her already wet cheeks. She needed to escape. Retrieving her phone, she sent a quick text to Rick.

Plz come get me

Within seconds, a green portal appeared to her left, and her grandpa stepped out. "What's up, Mortic- Morty?" His tone of voice changed as he took in her appearance. Wordlessly, Rick grabbed her hand and brought her through the portal back into the garage.

Rick led her to his workbench and sat her down in his seat. He shed his lab coat and used it as a towel to dry her face and hair. "What happened?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

"Apparently, I'm not allowed to use either bathroom," Morty replied, trying to sound bitter but only managing to sound pathetic. She sniffled as a few more tears leaked out of her eyes.

Her grandpa nodded in understanding. "Your parents aren't home. Go use the one in the house and come back here."

Morty nodded and made her way through the empty house into the bathroom. After finally relieving herself, she went to wash her hands and looked into the mirror. Bruises were starting to appear around her eye and on her arms. The gash on her cheek had scabbed over. Her eyes were puffy and red. This wasn't how she wanted to appear in front of Rick, but she had no choice.

She made her way back down to the garage, and Rick motioned for her to sit back in the chair. Morty complied, and Rick began applying a purple salve to her bruised areas and a yellow salve to her cut. "Give it a few hours, and it'll be like they were never there," he explained.

Morty nodded mutely, refusing to look up at Rick. Her grandpa sighed and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Well, since you're home already, how about we head out to Lermen?" he asked. Morty nodded again, eager to get the Morphizer-Xe fixed and return to normal.


	4. Lermen & Boys

**Wolowizard:** I'm female

* * *

The Lermen community was entirely underground, and it was easy to see why as soon as they portaled to the surface. Morty had known it was going to be bad when Rick told her she needed goggles and a cloth mask around her nose, but she wasn't prepared for just how bad it was going it was going to be. Ash filled the air, and the harsh winds tugged at her short hair and mask. The ash clung to her goggles, effectively blinding her. She coughed as she took in the air and pressed her mask harder into her face.

After a few seconds, Rick grabbed her arm and pulled her into the tunnel system. She heard the sound of a metal door clanking open then shut again as they walked through. "It's safe now," Rick said. Morty quickly pushed her goggles up and pulled her mask down. They were inside a small, metal room with ash clinging to every surface. Rick walked up to the other side and pressed a red button. A door opened, and the couple quickly stepped through into the Lermen tunnel system.

"Why didn't we just teleport inside?" Morty asked.

"First time I tried it, I accidentally cut someone in half," Rick explained.

Morty began brushing the ash off her clothes and arms as she followed Rick. Various species of aliens passed by, and Morty was surprised to see a few other humans. "A lot of people come here, I guess," Morty commented as she eyed the restaurants in various alien languages.

"Yeah, it's a pretty popular tourist site," Rick replied. "A lot of people want to see the crystals. Hell, a lot of people want the crystals, but they're not for sale except as little trinkets in the gift shop. Luckily, that's not what we're here for."

"What exactly are we here for?" Morty asked.

Rick stopped at the entrance to the mine. Inside it was dark, and Morty could feel the heat radiating off of the walls. She stepped slightly closer to Rick, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "Bellium ore," he responded. "And don't be worried. These mines are highly advanced and perfectly safe."

Morty nodded, but she still grabbed onto her grandpa's lab coat as they walked into the dark down the long, sloping road. "Are we even allowed in here?" she whispered.

"Not technically, but the owner knows me, so we're cool," Rick answered.

As the ground leveled out, Morty could see the miners. They were short and hunched with spines made of glowing pink scales. She gasped in awe at the way the miners illuminated the dark mine. One of them came to stand in front of Rick and Morty, crossing their arms in a grumpy stance. "No tourists allowed down here," they grumbled in a bass voice.

"Tell Mixar that Rick Sanchez is here to see him," Rick said coldly.

The miner walked away grumbling and turned the corner. Morty finally let go of Rick's lab coat, surprised that he hadn't complained about it yet. In fact, she hadn't heard a single insult or jab thrown her way. She glanced up suspiciously at the old man. "Are you just being nice to me because I got bullied?" she asked.

Rick softly sighed before speaking. "Morty, you've been bullied before, but you've never come to me in tears or asked me to get you because of it. I know you don't even want me to know about it. So yeah, I'm a little concerned."

Morty nodded in sad understanding and turned her face away. She hated appearing so weak in front of Rick. It was embarrassing. She was expecting relentless teasing, but all she got was pity. "There's a new Starbucks back at home" Rick continued. "Do you want to get some coffee after we head back home?"

"Is that your attempt to try and cheer me up?" Morty asked dryly.

"They have pumpkin spice lattes this time of year," Rick added.

Morty cracked a small smile and looked back up at her grandpa. "Alright," she relented.

The miner returned with another, larger alien by his side. "Rick Sanchez," Mixar crooned. "It's been too long, my friend. And who is this?"

"This is my grands- daughter, Morty- er, Morticia," Rick answered awkwardly.

Mixar reached forwards and grabbed one of Morty's hands, shaking it hard. "Nice to meet you, Morticia," he said. "Did you know this man saved my life a long time ago?"

"Really?" Morty asked with interest. "That's... uh... that's very moral of him."

"I was about to be executed by the Galactic Federation," Mixar explained, and Morty smiled to herself. That sounded more like the Rick she knew. "But Rick and his crew raided the compound just in time and set us all free. I would do anything for this man."

Rick laughed nervously. "Right, well all I need is ten pounds of Bellium ore," he explained. "I know you find that stuff in abundance down here."

"Of course!" Mixar replied before turning to the miner. "Ms. Thafia, fetch this man our finest Bellium ore."

Thafia grunted and turned away, walking towards a pile of rocks. After a quick examination, she picked up a moderately sized rock with silver shining from it. She returned and gracelessly shoved it into Rick's hands. If Rick noticed her rudeness, he ignored it and smiled back at Mixar. "Thanks, dawg," he said. "This URP is gonna help me big time."

After saying their goodbyes, Rick turned back to Morty and created a portal. She eagerly rushed through it, relieved to find herself back in the garage. A moment later, Rick followed her, and she finally got a look at the ash-covered man. "You're a mess," she said with a laugh.

Rick reached out and ruffled her hair, shaking clumps of ash loose. "You're not so clean yourself," he commented. "Wash up, then we'll go get some coffee."

* * *

Beth ended up tagging along with Rick and Morty since she needed to do some grocery shopping. She had asked Morty about how her school day was, to which Morty just lied and said it was fine. It was already bad enough that Rick knew what happened to her and was treating her differently. She didn't need the same from her mom.

She had asked Rick to stand in line with her at Starbucks because for some reason her heart was beating incredibly fast, and her stomach was tying itself in knots. Rick had rolled his eyes and said, "it's just the Starbucks Morticia, Jesus," but he agreed nonetheless. Now, she was starting to get an idea as to what was making her so nervous, and it terrified her. The barista was a teenage boy not much older than Morty, and he was… cute. He had dark hair that hung in his eyes and glistening, olive skin. Of course Morty could acknowledge that another guy looked good, but to see him as cute was weirding her out. Despite the fact that she had chosen female pronouns (she didn't know why, but they just felt right), she was still a boy deep down, wasn't she?

Standing in front of him, she felt her palms begin to sweat heavily and the blood rush up to her face. He gave her a grin, flashing his brilliant white teeth and asked, "What can I get for you?"

"J-j-just a tall p-pumpkin spice latte, p-please," she stammered, unable to look him in the eye.

"Can I get a name with your order?" he asked.

"M-mort- uh, Morticia," she stuttered.

Her drink came, and Morty quickly started sipping, hoping to drown out her embarrassment. As she walked back towards where her mom was waiting, Rick unfortunately decided to comment on her behavior. "What the hell was that, Morticia?" he asked. "You've been all flushed an-and weird acting since we got here. What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know," she lied. The last thing she needed was to be discussing her confused sexuality with Rick. "I just- you know it's been a hard day," she muttered, not wanting her mom to overhear.

Rick just sighed and took a swig from his flask. Thankfully, he dropped the subject when they got to Beth. "Hey, Beth," he greeted with a smile. "I'm gonna go look for some Szechuan sauce while you and Morticia go get the produce."

"Alright, Dad," Beth replied cheerfully. "Let's go, Morticia."

Morty hung back as her mom filled up a handheld grocery basket with fresh vegetables. She was trying to put the incident with the barista out of her mind and had almost convinced herself it was a fluke when she spotted another teenage boy. He had red hair (of course he did) and an easy-going smile. She pretty quickly recognized the feeling pretty quickly as the same feeling he got when he looked at Jessica.

Shit. She (who was still a boy, despite how she felt) liked boys. Was she gay? Internally, she began to panic. She didn't need to give the bullies even more fuel. "Fag," she remembered Brad calling her. It stung. But was it because she actually was gay?

Morty didn't notice that she had been staring until her mom placed a hand on her shoulder, startling Morty out of her daze. "I've been calling your name for the past minute," Beth informed her. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," Morty responded quickly, probably too quickly, pasting on a fake smile. "I just have a bit of a headache is all," she lied.

Rick was suddenly by her side with a bag full of that sauce he loved so much. Morty was pretty sure he loved it more than he loved the whole family combined. "You ready?" he asked.

Beth nodded, and they made their way to the cashier. Morty didn't miss the concerned looks Beth kept sending her. She tried to hide her face, suddenly feeling a bit like a lab rat under constant surveillance. Her face flushed with every look, and all she wanted to do was go home.

* * *

Home, as it turned out, was not any better than the store. Morty sat on the couch, pretending to watch a rerun of Ball Fondlers while her mom and Rick talked in the kitchen. Beth thought she was being quiet, but she wasn't. "I'm just worried about her is all," Beth sighed in defeat.

"Why?" Rick demanded. "You thought this whole thing was funny too, so why the sudden concern about the Morphizer-Xe messing with her mind and confusing her?"

Morty groaned. She really hoped her mom hadn't noticed.

"I caught her staring at this guy- don't give me that look Rick! I know that look she was giving; it was the look you give to someone who you're checking out. Jerry gives it to me all the time," Beth replied angrily.

She had noticed.

Rick's bellowing laugh suddenly assaulted her ears, causing Morty to wince. She braced herself for the inevitable teasing because apparently the bathroom incident this morning hadn't been enough. Sure enough, Rick came sauntering around the corner with a large grin on his face. "Is this true, Morticia?" he asked, finishing with a loud belch. "You gonna be drooling over every boy we pass now? Am I gonna have t- to keep a leash on you to keep you from chasing after every guy now? It was bad enough when you let your wiener do the thinking, but this is even worse!"

Beth scolded him, but he wouldn't stop laughing. All the taunts from the bullies this morning came rushing back to her, and it was more than she could handle. Tears began to pool in Morty's eyes, and as she felt the first one escape, she took off running. Within a few seconds, she was out the front door, totally ignoring her mom calling after her.

Her lungs and her eyes burned, but she didn't stop running until her calves were on fire and her legs felt like they were going to give out. She wasn't surprised to find herself at the small park a few blocks away from her house. It was a nice, empty space where she could cry and think without being bothered.

As soon as the blood stopped rushing in her ears, she could hear the anxious footsteps behind her. She groaned and turned around, spotting Rick running towards her. Of course he had followed her. Morty sank to the ground in defeat and sobbed. Rick caught up to her and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry, Morty," he said. Morty looked up at him in confusion and wiped away her tears. "I- I forget what it's like to be a teenager. Or to not be pansexual. You're probably very confused now."

"What's happening to me?" Morty whimpered.

"The Morphizer-Xe is happening to you," Rick replied. "It didn't just make your body more feminine. It made your brain more feminine too. Did you feel weird when you showered, Morty?"

She thought about it for a minute. "No," she said, surprised.

"That's because your brain changed to eliminate body dysphoria. It didn't just make your body female. It made you female," Rick explained.

Morty nodded in understanding. "But I'm still the same Morty, right? I should still like girls."

Rick shook his head. "You're not the same Morty because while your gender changed, your sexuality didn't, unlike with people who are transgender and get surgery. If you were a straight male before, you're a straight girl now. Likewise, if you had been gay, you'd still be gay. Let me ask you something: how do you feel about Jessica?"

"She makes me less nervous," Morty realized. "I mean, I still think she's beautiful. Hell, I still kind of want to marry her…" She trailed off, realizing what that must mean.

"So maybe you're not fully straight and you never were," Rick replied with a shrug. "Sexuality is a confusing thing, and we'll probably never fully understand it. I'm pansexual, so you never have to worry about judgement from me. I'll fuck anything."

Morty gave a small smile. "Thanks, Rick," she said. "I feel better. Let's head home now."

Rick helped her to stand, and she gave a final look over her shoulder before leaving the park. For a brief second, she could have sworn she saw Ethan, Summer's ex who she had disfigured, lurking behind the trees. In the dark, she was sure she had seen the monstrosity's outline. But then she blinked, and he was gone.


	5. Morticia

It hadn't been easy to convince Rick to wait until the next day before traveling to Allium, but after Morty's rough day a good night's sleep was her immediate priority. Now as she was standing outside the school doors watching her classmates whisper and laugh about her as they walk past, she was beginning to regret it. School was the last place she wanted to be, but it was important that her parents thought she was still going.

The minutes dragged by, and Morty was beginning to worry that Rick had forgotten about her. Dejected, she sat down on the steps and buried her face in her hands. She didn't know what she was going to do if Rick didn't show. The longer he took, the bigger the risk was that she'd be caught and then forced to actually attend her classes.

Just before she was about to make a last-attempt call to Rick's phone, the familiar green portal opened up in front of her, and stumbling out came her very drunk grandfather. "Mor- urp- Morticia, are you ready to go?" he slurred.

"I don't think I could possibly be any more ready," Morty replied with a laugh. Despite her outward appearance, she was absolutely miserable. It wasn't because she had a female-presenting body now as the Morphizer-Xe also made her feel feminine inside. It was the way everyone treated her at school.

Morty followed Rick back through the portal to their driveway where Rick's spaceship was parked outside. She quickly climbed in on the passenger's side and buckled up as Rick started the engine and took off to the skies. No matter how often she saw it Morty was still amazed by the way the sky darkened and the stars appeared while the earth got smaller below.

"You shouldn't care about what the other kids think, M-Morty," Rick said after awhile, breaking the silence. "Gender's a spectrum, not a binary. Humanity's just v-very close-minded, Morty, a-and that's why they're one of the stupidest species out there."

"Is that why you travel so much?" Morty questioned. "Because you can't stand to be around other humans?"

Rick fell silent for a moment before answering. "That's part of it."

They wizzed passed the stars until a small, lonely planet came into view. There wasn't much vegetation or water, and as they approached all Morty could make out was a lone warehouse. Rick brought the ship to a stop next to it. "Are we going to be able to breathe he-here, Rick?" she asked nervously.

Her grandpa nodded. "The oxygen's produced by micro bacteria that live in the dirt. Breathing is no problem." To prove his point, Rick opened his door and hopped out. Morty followed, hearing the ground crunch underneath her shoes as she made her way to the warehouse. Behind her, Rick was pulling the Morphizer-Xe.

Inside was cold and dark. Morty fell behind Rick as he pushed the broken machine forwards to a counter in the back and passed remnants of scraps and works-in-progress. The noise got the attention of an alien, presumably Taj, who rose up from behind the counter. He had five eyes reflecting light right back at them and deep, magenta skin. "Ricky!" he exclaimed eagerly as he walked around the counter to greet the old man. Morty was shocked when the alien reached out to kiss Rick on the mouth, all five eyes shutting in pleasure. Unity had been one thing, but Taj didn't seem nearly insane enough to actually like her grandpa.

"What can I do for you, Ricky?" Taj asked as soon as they parted.

Rick gestured to the Morphizer-Xe. "I have a b-broken Morphizer and was hoping you could hook me up with the parts to fix it."

Taj gave a toothy grin. "I love you Ricky, but you know that's gonna cost you." Rick responded by retrieving the bag of Bellium ore from his lab coat pocket. The alien smiled wider. "You never let me down," he chuckled.

The magenta alien took the bag in his three-fingered hand and placed it on the counter before making his way over to the machine. He took his time, carefully going over each section of the Morphizer-Xe to determine what was needed. After a thorough inspection, he returned to the counter and began rummaging through different drawers and pulling out various metal and electronic pieces. "This will cover you," Taj said. "You'll have that Morphizer working like new in no time, Ricky."

Rick thanked the alien and kissed him once again before leading Morty back outside. As she climbed into the spaceship, an uneasy feeling settled into her stomach. She hesitated watching her grandpa load the Morphizer-Xe back into the ship. "What is it?" Rick asked, sensing Morty's unease.

"What if it doesn't work?" Morty asked timidly, not wanting to look Rick in the eyes.

Her grandpa let out a burp before answering. "It will, but you know that already, so why don't you tell me what's really wrong?"

Morty bit down on her lip as she finally forced herself to look at Rick. "What if it does?" she whispered.

Understanding dawned upon Rick's features. He sat across from Morty and put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll b-be an adjustment," he replied. "But the machine won't let you feel any dysphoria. I promise."

She nodded and gave a small smile. At this point, Morty knew that she wouldn't have minded staying a girl forever. "I feel dysphoric when I call myself Morty," she admitted.

"So don't," Rick replied with a shrug. He started the engine and began the flight back to Earth.

Morticia relaxed against the seat and sighed happily. Rick may be a narcissistic, sociopathic asshole, but he was very wise and had his own strange way of caring.

* * *

While Rick got to work immediately after getting home, Morticia decided to walk back to the park to clear her head. She had never been forced to think about gender before, and she hoped she would never have to again. It was a confusing thing, perhaps not truly meant to be understood. Rick had been right when he said humanity was small-minded. She liked to think that her adventures with her grandpa made her better.

The park was empty, but as Morticia turned the corner, she could hear the rustling of leaves and branches in the woods just behind. Remembering her vision of Ethan from yesterday, she almost just turned around and ran home, but she needed to prove to herself that the danger wasn't real. She took a deep breath and walked slowly towards the trees, hearing nothing but silence.

As she reached the edge, her body turned cold with fear. She placed a hand on a tree trunk and inches forwards, peering into the darkness. As she got closer, she could make out the trail of broken branches and trampled dirt.

Morticia ran.


End file.
